Russian state-owned uranium explorer opens office in Leonardville
The construction of a dining hall worth N$1.8 million at Noasanabis Primary School in Leonardville in the Omeheke region is underway as part of an upgrade project slated for completion in mid-September.
The latest investment in the town comes courtesy of Uranium One Group, a mining company prospecting for uranium in the Leonardville area.
The mining company also inaugurated its office in the town last week, inviting residents to visit their office on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The company recently signed a nine-month N$405,000 food delivery contract, under which they would provide meals to Noasanabis Primary School learners twice a month. This is because the school lacks a cooling facility for fresh food.
Kirill Egorov-Kirillov, Director of Mines at Uranium One and Director of Headspring Investment noted that an office in Leonardville shows that they believe in their initiative and want to become part of that society.
Egorov-Kirillov emphasized that they are excited not just about the advantages of their mining activities, but also about how they would benefit the country, particularly the people and farmers in that area.
“At all our mines, the communities have benefitted the most through job creation and social upliftment programmes. Even farmers have grown as the mines have created markets for their produce on the farmers’ doorstep. In addition, we are 100% certain that the mining method we use is environmentally friendly compared to any other mining method, and this was even confirmed by international experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said, adding that they are looking forward to the day the country will benefit from its uranium by getting cheaper and cleaner energy.
Meanwhile, the Omaheke Governor, Pijoo Nganate, during his address at the ceremony expressed concerns over the region’s poverty and many malnutrition cases as 45 children, reportedly have died of malnutrition-related conditions.
According to Nganate, the unemployment rate in his region is 34%, making it the third highest in the country. The Governor also listed four areas of particular importance to the region’s self-sufficiency.
He stated that these include education, housing and municipal services, industrialization, and innovation. The politician further said that they need more experts, as well as farmers and civic groups, to weigh in on Uranium One’s operations.
Uranium One is a Russian state-owned company that specialises in uranium exploration, mining, and processing. Headspring Investments is the Namibian subsidiary of Uranium One, which is a subsidiary of Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy business.
From the left: Chairperson of the Leonardville village council, Petra Witbooi; Omaheke Governor, Pijoo Nganate; Leonardville Chief Executive, Efraim Dawids; Director of Mines at Uranium One and Director of Headspring Investment, Kirill Egorov-Kirillov; and Uranium One spokesperson, Riaan van Rooyen, at the official signing of a nine-month N$405,000 food delivery contract for the provision of meals to Noasanabis Primary School.
